Systems Alliance Marshal Services
The Systems Alliance Marshal Services (SAMS) is a government branch of the Systems Alliance that is the extra-federal branch of law enforcement for the colonies, outposts, settlements, and locations for Systems Alliance citizens, and generally 'anywhere a human being lives'. It was founded in conjunction with the creation of the Systems Alliance Charter, as prior to the discovery of the Mars Archives, colonies were founded by nations and crimes such as smuggling, theft, and piracy were hard to deter with questionable jurisdictions and legal mudslinging amongst the various governmental organizations. The Ministry of Justice minted the SAMS as the extrasolar police force of the Systems Alliance, their jurisdiction being anything outside of Sol System, but also including the legal verbiage 'locations of work, rest, recreation, and religion'. Written and ratified prior to 2157 and the First Contact War, this clarified that a Marshal could technically enforce Systems Alliance law anywhere in the galaxy. History Formed from the United States Marshal Services, with many of its Marshals and Deputies transferring over to the new organization for a chance at a new life and exploration while sticking to what they knew best, the Systems Alliance Marshal Services quickly became notorious for being tough lawmen on frontier worlds. The 'Old West' spirit was revived as boots, cowboy hats, and mustaches for males became popular, the old gunslinger motif impressing upon everyone who might be thinking about breaking the law exactly what would happen if they crossed that line. While the organization started small, easily outpaced by the growing number of colonists and colonies springing up during the Golden Age of Humanity during 2148-2157, Frontier Marshals and Deputies were found to enforce law, policy, and justice in every effort the Systems Alliance made towards colonizing. During the First Contact War, Marshals and Deputies fought off 'Raptors' (what Turians were known then where there wasn't a common language or any dialogue) as well as escorting civilians towards bunkers and other safe locations during the hastist actions in which Turians demanded timely surrenders (in Common Cipritine, which no human understood), and then drove forward after the allotted time and executed anyone that didn't comply. Several Frontier Marshals and Frontier Marshal Deputies gained notoriety for holding the line to ensure the civilian populous could escape, leading said civilians out of dangerous areas, or died fighting off the invading alien species. After the end of the FCW, Marshal Offices everywhere in the Alliance made sure that their armories contained enough potent weaponry not only to arm its officers, but also the local populous in times of need, bringing back the Posse Comitatus laws in the name of defense. Operations The Systems Alliance Marshal Services runs two branches; the Alliance Frontier Marshals, and the Alliance Federal Marshals. Each have their own roles and jurisdictions, as well as members and responsibilities The Alliance Frontier Marshals Responsible for law and order on colonies on Systems Alliance colonies and holdings, the Frontier Marshals are the law in every holding the Systems Alliance has. The Systems Alliance Charter states that every colony must have a Marshal's Office, be it as its sole police force, or at a municipal level or higher in case a colonial jurisdiction has its own police force (such as Illeryia, Elysium). While each individual Marshal Office has differences in operations and procedures, most are geared towards assistance with court security and prisoner transport, asset forfeiture, serving arrest warrants, providing investigation services and seeking fugitives. In locations where there are no other law enforcement agencies (such as Nova Yekaterinburg, Therum), the Marshal Office acts as the criminal law enforcement agency as oppose to merely civil. If, for some reason, the Marshal or his/her Office cannot execute their duties, or the Office is no longer available for any such reason, the colony in question reverts to martial law through the nearest Commanding Officer of the Systems Alliance Navy responsible for the territory in question, regardless if there is a civilian law enforcement agency to provide civil and criminal law enforcement. This clause was added in case a colony wishes to eject the Systems Alliance government and its personnel due to rebellion, coups, gaining independence, or corruption. Since the inception of the Frontier Marshals, this has happened only once, on the colony of Benning. The Alliance Federal Marshals While the Frontier Marshals are responsible for municipal jurisdictions depending upon the colony in question, Federal Marshals are responsible for apprehending wanted fugitives, providing protection for the federal judiciary, transporting federal prisoners, protecting endangered federal witnesses, and managing assets seized from criminal enterprises throughout the entirety of the Systems Alliance itself, as well as the apprehension of wanted fugitives regardless of location. When the Systems Alliance signed the Treaty of Farixen in 2157 and the Citadel Chamber of Governance accepted the Systems Alliance and all legal affiliations, the Alliance Federal Marshals became the only official law enforcement agency sponsored by the Citadel with legal jurisdiction to arrest criminals and offenders within the Attican Traverse and the Terminus Sectors due to the legal literature of the Systems Alliance Charter. Instead of forcing the Systems Alliance Government to change this clause, law enforcement agencies such as Citadel Security Services and the Hierarchy Civil Protection Services utilized the few Federal Marshals willing to work with non-humans to locate and apprehend fugitives, gaining the Alliance much-needed credibility in the aftermath of the First Contact War and continued to contribute grudging acceptance of the Alliance itself. The Systems Alliance Charter allows a Federal Marshal to apprehend wanted fugitives and fleeing suspects in 'locations of work, rest, recreation, or religion, wherever humanity may exist'. When this clause was written in 2148, the thought at the time was to apprehend individuals who thought to escape justice by hiding out in undisclosed locations in space upon vessels, landing on unsurveyed worlds, or creating establishments for survival in banned locations such as asteroid fields or even extra-system locations outside a star's heliopause. The legal literature was to close the loophole used against the United States Federal Air Marshals who were once responsible for transporting criminals and prisoners from Mars to Earth when a fugitive had his arrest tossed for hiding in a location technically not covered in the United States Federal Air Marshals' jurisdiction, while no other law enforcement agency had jurisdiction that covered extraterrestrial affairs. This clause has held up in not only Alliance Courts of Law, but also Citadel Courts of Law when non-human fugitives apprehended by Marshals attempt to overturn arrests and convictions when a team of human cops assisted by Turians, Asari, or Salarians to capture them. The Federal Marshals are some of the most visible law enforcement agencies in all of Council Space, and technically enjoy the 'largest' jurisdiction of any other legal, official, and sanctioned law enforcement agency. While the Charter allows a Marshal jurisdiction in 'locations wherever humanity may exist', the lack of context has allowed great flexibility in what that can pertain. One court case was held up when a Federal Marshal apprehended a Turian Seperatist on Palaven itself after an attempted act of espionage against the Alliance, claiming that 'it was very possible for a human to exist on Palaven', and his legal cover was to state that he was working on Palaven at the time, and thus the clause of jurisdiction covered his ability to apprehend upon a planet populated by Turians... and exactly one human being (himself). The verbiage has since then been changed to mean that a human (and not a Federal Marshal) may work, but the Federal Marshals and C-SEC have found other clause loopholes to get around this ratification, often hiring human mercenaries to visit a location for a drink or a short-term meeting to cover the jurisdictional issue. Of the many agencies of the Systems Alliance, the Federal Marshals receive the warmest relations throughout the majority of Citadel governments throughout Citadel Space, especially with the Thessian Order of Justice (known as the Justicars). While there are Marshals that are still apprehensive about working with non-humans, more often than not the various law enforcement agencies throughout Citadel Space will foot the bill for transportation and lodging in return for the extra-judicial authority that Federal Marshals enjoy. Locations * Yuri Gagarin Ministry Building, Arcturus Station - Systems Alliance Marshal Services Headquarters is located in the Y. Gagarin Building, located in the Systems Alliance Government Wing. * Wyatt Earp Federal Building, Vancouver, B.C., North American Union - Systems Alliance Marshal Services liaison office that coordinates with the other civil and criminal enforcement jurisdictions in the Sol System. * Marshal Office, Nova Yekaterinburg ("No'burg"), Therum, Knossos System, Artemis Tau Cluster * Dostoyevsky Station, Venusian Orbit, Sol System, Local Cluster - One of three 'prison' locations ran by the Systems Alliance Marshal Services. Dostoyevsky Station serves as a high-security station for fugitives awaiting trail, and deportation of convicted criminals to the Kiln on Venus. * Bass Reeves Station, Arcturus Stream - One of three 'prison' locations ran by the Systems Alliance Marshal Services. Bass Reeves Station serves as a light-security station for fugitives awaiting trial, as well as the Ministry of Law Court System where trails and cases are held. Bass Reeves is the main extradition point for inbound and outbound fugitives, suspects, and convicted criminals. Known Members * Frontier Marshal Erik Jorgensen, Marshal of New Beijing, Shanxi (2149-2157) - Relieved of duty due to cowardice during the First Contact War. * Frontier Marshal Deputy William 'Wild Bill' Bennet, New Beijing, Shanxi (2154-2158) - A decorated Marshal and war veteran whose contributions towards civilian escorts and the defense of several bunker locations against the Turian Hierarchy forces invading and occupying Shanxi gained him wide recognition. * Frontier Marshal Bartholomew Weathers, Marshal of Therum (2168-2175) - Arrested in 2175 for corruption, falsification of customs documentation, collusion to slavery, murder, and high treason by Deputy Samantha Collins after her investigation of the Revan House of Horrors. * Federal Marshal Samantha Collins, Marshal of Therum (2175), Citadel Marshal (2175-current) * Staff Marshal Emilio Torres, Inner Council Space Marshal-in-Charge (2173-current) - Responsible for the transportation of suspects and prisoners moving to and from the Citadel and Arcturus Station Category:Factions Category:Organizations Category:Systems Alliance Category:Humans Category:Law enforcement Category:Peacemaker Series